


Up All Night (But Not In The Fun Way)

by Topographical_Map_Of_Utah



Series: Along Came Baby [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Baby Shara, But The Kind That Actually Happens, Do We Trust Kes With An Infant?, Finn Is So Tired, Fluff, Kes Is A Granddad!, M/M, Poe Is So Tired, Post Mpreg, Trans!Poe Dameron, parenting is hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 13:22:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7846750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Topographical_Map_Of_Utah/pseuds/Topographical_Map_Of_Utah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taking care of babies is hard. They're always hungry, they get sick a lot, and somebody always needs to be watching them. But in the end, it's all worth it, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Up All Night (But Not In The Fun Way)

Finn's phone alarm went off and Poe groaned, grabbing it from where Finn had tossed it at the foot of the bed the night before. "Babe, you forgot to turn off your alarm..." Poe looked over and blinked, finding nothing but a cold pillow and rumpled sheets where Finn usually was. He must have gone for a run or something, Poe decided. Sighing, he crawled out of bed and went to check on the baby, surprised that he hadn't heard her crying yet.

When he shuffled into the nursery Shara was sleeping comfortably in her crib, fed and dry if the satisfied look on her face meant anything. Poe rubbed her belly and moved on, hoping that he'd find Finn in the kitchen with waffles on the griddle and bacon in the stove. But instead of breakfast and a boyfriend Poe discovered a note sitting on the breakfast bar, hastily scribbled out and stained with instant coffee. Feeling pretty disappointed he grabbed it and made his way back to Shara's room, his eyebrows furrowing as he read.

 

_Morning, Poe_

_There's a big blaze on 53rd and the station's understaffed. I dunno when I'll be back but I know you have work so I'll try and get home soon. I'm really sorry, sweetheart :(_

_Love, Finn_

_P.S. Give Shara a kiss for me?_

 

"Why couldn't you just get a nine to five job like everyone else's got?" Poe groaned as he scooped Shara out of her crib. She opened her eyes and pawed at his shirt, making the little whimpering noises she did when she was hungry. Finn had probably fed her before he left, so he must have been gone for about two hours, give or take. Poe glanced out the window and sighed, gentling his voice a bit. "Watch yourself out there, got that?" he mumbled. He looked down at the baby he was nursing, running his thumb over her silky cheek. "I kinda like having you around, buddy." His pensive mood was broken when Shara pulled away with a happy squeak. Poe couldn't help but smile, bouncing her in his arms. "You like having your dad around too, don't you?"

Shara just gave him a befuddled grin and nestled her face in his neck. Poe sighed and rocked her back and forth, patting her absently on the back while he tried to work out what he should do next. He would bring her to work, honestly, if he were just teaching. But today was some big fancy board meeting and he was pretty sure a bunch of government officials and military bigwigs wouldn't take kindly to having one of their senior officers toting around an infant. Baby carriers were probably against uniform regulation, anyways.

Once he was dressed Poe flopped down onto the bed and scrolled through his contacts, looking for a sitter. Leia and Han were his first choice, but they would be at the meeting. Snap was on vacation and while Poe trusted Rey with a lot of things, a newborn wasn't one of them. Jess wouldn't answer, ditto for Karé and Ben. There was one more name on the list, and Poe went back and forth for a bit, not sure whether or not that would be too much to ask. Then he sighed and dialed, figuring he didn't have any other options. 

"Hey, dad? I have a huge favour to ask you."

 

\---------

 

Half an hour later Kes was standing at Poe's door, shuffling his feet on the doormat and tugging at the collar of his shirt. Tuck peered up at him and Kes let out a huff before knocking. Well, here goes nothing.

The door was thrown open before Kes' second knock. After Poe's curt "Hi-dad-sorry-I'm-gonna-be-late-I-left-food-in-the-oven-and-instructions-on-the-counter-thanks-bye" greeting, Kes stood blinking in the foyer for a bit, trying to work his way through what Poe had said. You'd think he'd have gotten used to Poe's rapid fire, blink-and-you'll-miss-him ways, but apparently not.

"Bye, son." he managed after the door had been closed for a good two minutes. He scratched Tuck behind the ear and shrugged. "I guess we should go check on the kid, huh?" Tuck dipped his head in agreement, and the two of them tiptoed into the nursery to find Shara fast asleep, the spaceship mobile above her cradle turning idly on its chain. Tuck stuck his nose through the bars and sniffed her foot, blinking at Kes with a look that meant _What the hell is this squishy thing?_

"Beats me, buddy..." As they watched Shara squirmed and stretched, her mouth gone wide in a toothless yawn. Kes held his breath when she opened her eyes, considering him with a curious, trusting look. "Hi, _mija_. Remember me?" Shara squealed and reached for him, a goofy smile on her face. Apparently she did. That was nice of her. Kes scooped her up, grinning when she hid her face in the collar of his shirt. "You hungry? Your Papá said that there was lunch somewhere in that kitchen of theirs..."

They passed the day rather pleasantly. Shara was a good baby, Kes was glad to say. She didn't cry that loudly, and she slept most of the time, so Kes got to read Finn's collection of history books and try to figure out how to use Netflix while Shara napped on an armchair. Most of the time Tuck sat on the floor beside her with his muzzle resting on the armrest, like a lazy sentry. 

Mid afternoon, while Kes was trying to navigate his way out the romance movie section, Shara squirmed and whimpered on the pillows, interrupting the blissful half-hour of silence. "Alright, I've gotcha."  Kes scooped her up and wrinkled his nose, holding her out at arms length. "Oh, geez. And this is why we didn't have any more kids..."

Once that was dealt with Kes settled down on the couch with Shara and a bottle, smiling at the funny wet noises she made as she drank. It took her about two minutes to drain it. Nothing like Poe, who had been the hardest kid to feed. "I don't think your Papá was ever this good when he was your age, y'know that?" Kes laughed. "Poe was a high-maintenance baby. Well, we called him Paola, back then..." Kes shook his head and ran his fingers through Shara's rough curls, trying to ignore the guilty lump in the back of his throat that had been nagging him for God knows how long.

Kes still remembered an especially stormy November about twenty years ago, walking into the house one morning to find Poe's bedroom empty, floor strewn with glass from the shattered mirror that hung on the bright pink wall. Kes had looked for hours, but there wasn't even a note, no hint as to where his kid had gone.

Poe was missing for two weeks, nowhere to be found, then one rainy day he turned up on Kes' doorstep, uneven curls plastered to his face and Han gripping him by the elbow in case he tried to make a break for it. Apparently Ben had let Poe hide out in the Solo's garage during a vicious hailstorm, but his cover had been blown when Rey ran in there looking for some pliers only to discover Poe curled up on the floor in a musty old sleeping bag. What a five year old had needed pliers for, Kes never found out.

"Promise me something, _mija_." he said to Shara once he blinked himself out of the memory. "No matter how scared you are, or how mad you think they'll be, you have to tell your parents when something's wrong, got that? Don't run away. Never think that they don't want you." He cuddled Shara closer and kissed the top of her head. "Never think that you have to leave." Shara nodded sleepily against his chest and Kes was satisfied that he'd gotten his point across. "Good. I'll hold you to that."

When Finn barged into the apartment an hour later, explanations and apologies ready on his lips, he was greeted with the sight of Kes and Shara asleep on the couch, Tuck curled up at their feet. Relieved, Finn let out a breath and rested against the doorjamb, rubbing the new bandages on his arm. Well, that was a weight off his shoulders. And hopefully when Poe saw that he was injured he wouldn't give him too much hell for running off that morning. Unlikely, but Finn could dream.

 

\------------

 

"Poe?" When he heard Finn's voice Poe groaned and buried his face in his pillow, refusing to stir even when Finn shook his shoulder. "Poe, wake up." 

"But it's your turn..." he complained as he turned on the lamp. Then he saw what was going on and paused. Shara was curled against Finn's chest, whimpering and clinging to the collar of his sleeveless shirt. "What's up?"

"I tried to feed her but she threw up and I don't know if that's normal or what..." 

 "Alright, sweetheart. Hand her over." Sighing, Poe took Shara and tried to get her to nurse, but she just wasn't having it. "Huh. Is she sick?" Finn shrugged, pulling up a mommy blog on his phone, ignoring Poe's derisive snort. Personally, Poe thought those sites were hives of paranoia and bullshit, but Finn was hooked on them.

"The internet sure thinks so." He scrolled down the page and blinked up at Poe, looking horrified. "Oh God, what if she has appendicitis?" 

"Calm down, would you? Babies get sick all the time." While Poe worked her out of her onesie Shara squirmed and sneezed, trying to wriggle away from him. In the low light they could see that her face and belly were flushed dark and shiny with sweat, skin clammy to touch. Poe scowled and blinked up at Finn, who was still staring at the screen like it would save his life. "Is that normal?"

"I don't know, is it? What do we do? Should we phone somebody?"

"Finn it's two in the morning..." All of a sudden Shara burst into tears and Poe scooped her up and cradled her to his chest. "Aw, c'mon, kiddo. What's the matter?"

"How would she know? We don't know, and we're grownups." Finn said frantically.

"You run into burning buildings for a living." Poe pointed out as he edged out of bed with Shara wailing in his arms. "You risk your life on a daily basis, and now you decide to panic?"

"I'm not panicking." Finn pulled back the blankets while Poe lay Shara down in the middle of the mattress, watching her wriggle and fuss. Finn flopped down beside her and shook his head. "I told you we shouldn't have gone to the Christmas party..."

"Finn, that was a month ago." Poe prodded at Shara's diaper and sighed. "Well, she's dry, at least. Is that bad? She might be dehydrated."

"But she won't drink..." Finn fretted. "Maybe we should give her water? Wait, can babies drink water?"

"A little, but not too much. How much water's too much water?"

"I don't know." Finn felt her forehead and scowled. "It looks like she has a fever."

"Overdressing can cause fevers." Poe said, giving Finn an accusatory look. It was true that Finn tended to bundle Shara up in as many layers as he could, even when it was sunny outside. Sometimes it was a wonder the kid could breathe, let alone move. "We could give her a sponge bath, I guess? I heard those work." He hopped up and trotted into the bathroom, leaving Finn to deal with Shara, who was still whining and kicking and causing a general ruckus. 

"C'mon, baby-girl. It's okay..." Finn soothed as he scooped her up. He ran his fingers through her sweaty curls and shook his head in resignation. "We're in for a long night, aren't we?" he asked. Shara just screwed up her face and sneezed in response. "Thought so."

 

\-------------

 

"Does she have an off button?" Poe groaned into Finn's neck. "I told you we should've gotten a dog." The two of them were sitting on the couch, Shara wailing in Finn's arms. Poe had to say he was feeling sorta over the whole parenting thing. "God, the neighbours must fucking hate us..."

"I'm pretty sure this place is soundproof." Finn poked Poe's shoulder and they traded jobs, Poe trying to feed Shara while Finn rubbed her down with a wet cloth. They'd been at this for upwards of five hours, or somewhere thereabouts. Honestly Finn was too tired to tell. "This is worse than the night she was born..." he complained. When he heard that Poe turned and gave Finn a look that had him trembling in his socks.

"That so? Do me a favour, Finn. Go stuff a football up your ass, carry it around for nine months, and then see how easy it is to push it out. I'll wait here." Knowing that he couldn't argue Finn nodded in defeat and went back to sponging, wincing when Shara let out another shriek.

"Sorry..." he mumbled. Shara's wailing hit a higher pitch and Poe got up, walking back and forth across the living room floor, squinting in the sunrise creeping through the window shades. 

"Think we bit off more than we could chew?" Poe said grimly after another half-hour of pacing. At this point the walking was mostly for his own benefit. If he sat down he'd be sure to pass out. "I've been to actual war zones and an infant's gonna be what kills me."

"At least we'll die together." Finn groaned from the couch. He closed his eyes, hoping he wouldn't fall asleep. That would be hard to do, though. The pillows were so soft and the room was so warm and it was nice and quiet, the only noise coming from Poe's shuffling step on the floor. Finn blinked and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Wait a minute, something was off, here. "Hey."

"What?" 

"She's not crying anymore." Finn pointed out. 

Turns out he was right. The two of them held their breath as Shara yawned, her eyes fluttering shut and arms snuggled placidly against Poe's chest. Poe felt her forehead, almost laughing when he found it was cool.

"Thank God..." Poe shook his head and gave Finn an exhausted, triumphant smirk. "We're fucking good at this."

"That we are." Finn rolled to his feet and smacked Poe on the back, shuffling over to the bathroom with a sigh of relief. When he got back Poe was sitting on the couch feeding Shara, who seemed back to normal if the happy, greedy noises she was making meant anything. He came up behind them and wrapped his arms around Poe's neck, nuzzling his face into his curls and breathing in the soft familiar scent of him.  

"What's her temperature?" he mumbled.

"Back in the safe zone." Poe assured him. Finn kissed him on the cheek and plopped himself down on the couch, smiling at Shara when she pulled away and squealed.

"You feel better, baby-girl?" Finn asked. He poked Shara's tummy and she hiccuped, making Poe laugh.

"If she keeps us up with a belly-ache I'm gonna fucking kill you..." he promised as he heaved Shara up onto his shoulder. While he pat her on the back he started to sing a lullaby, softly enough that Finn had to lean in to catch the words.  

 _"Te quiero" dijiste,_  
_tomando mis manos_  
_entre tus manitas_  
_de blanco marfil..._

 Finn's eyes fluttered and he sighed into Poe's neck, nodding absently when Poe got up and passed him Shara, who cuddled up to him with a contented burble.   

_Y sentí en mi pecho_  
_un fuerte latido,_  
_después un suspiro,_  
_y luego el chasquido_  
_de un beso febril._

 Poe kept singing as he went about making coffee for the two of them, but once he came back Finn was snoring on the couch with Shara napping on his chest, neither of them looking very inclined to get up. Poe was about to try and convince Finn to go back to bed, but he decided against it. He had some work to do, and he was up anyways, so may as well get it done while his two biggest distractions were occupied.

He pecked Shara on the forehead and kissed Finn on the cheek, draping a blanket over the two of them before settling down at the breakfast bar with his laptop and a stack of paperwork, grinning whenever Shara sighed comfortably in her sleep or Finn cuddled her closer. You know what? Maybe this whole parenting thing was worth it after all.

 

\----------

 

Finn woke up to Shara's hands patting at his chin, trying to get to his mouth. He squirmed and caught her arms, shaking his head and laughing. "Lay off for a sec, sweetheart..." He grinned and Shara smiled back, waving her arms as much as she could. "You feel better, I guess."

He gathered her up in his arms and sat up, looking around for Poe. When his gaze fell on the kitchen he bit back a laugh and scooped up a blanket and pillow for his boyfriend, who was slumped over his laptop, snoring. He set Shara down in the carrier that was sitting on the kitchen floor and tossed the blanket over Poe, who looked as though he'd be happy to sleep for the next hundred years.

“Your Papá,” Finn started as he cleared the counter of the cold coffee and scattered documents. “He doesn’t take care of himself. Yeah, he takes care of you and me and an entire freaking air base for that matter, but when it comes to himself..." Finn shook his head and eased a pillow under Poe's head, letting his thumb graze the scratchy stubble dusting his cheeks. "I guess that's what I'm here for, huh?" he laughed as he picked Shara up again. She tugged at the bandages on Finn's shoulder and he winced, reminded of how he'd gotten grazed with a searing support beam a week back. "Okay, fine, I need someone to take care of me too..." He ruffled Shara's hair, grinning. "And we're both here to take care of you."

Shara looked up at him and smiled, apparently more than happy with that arrangement.

**Author's Note:**

> School is trying to kill me and by the way my classmates think I got someone pregnant because when they look at my screen all my tabs are like "what do babies eat" and "how to take care of an infant". 
> 
> Yeah, so that's been fun.


End file.
